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GGWP Esports Team of the Year: Samsung Galaxy

POSTED BY GG Network ON December 30, 2017

The new kings of League of Legends are also the the GGWP Esports Team of the Year.

Samsung Galaxy made quite the impact throughout the esports community this year after sweeping the defending champions, SK Telecom T1. Their history-making decimation of the most dominant team in League of Legends is what placed them on top in the GGWP Esports Team of the Year.

The South Korean League of Legends team started the year coming from a disappointing loss in the hands of SK Telecom T1 in the 2016 World Championships. Despite all their efforts to deny the third championship from the South Korean titans, SK Telecom T1 came back and pushed to the full five games before regaining their crowns.

Samsung Galaxy mid-laner Lee “Crown” Min-ho after their defeat at the 2016 World Championship Finals

This devastated the team as seen on the faces of the different veterans of Samsung Galaxy at the end of the long series. Despite the loss, the organization decided to retain their roster and coach to begin the year. The team was one of the few teams that re-signed their roster from the previous season.

They finished the regular 2017 Spring Split in the local League of Legends Champions Korea in second with SK Telecom T1 sitting above them yet again. Although their Split came to a close after they fell to the South Korean super team KT Rolster in the Semifinals of the Playoffs, forcing Samsung Galaxy to settle in third. The Summer Split wasn’t any better as they fell to third in the regular Split before being swept by SK Telecom T1 in the Quarterfinals of the Playoffs.

The 2017 World Championship was still in sight as they had the opportunity to play in the Regional Qualifier after they secured the second highest Championship Points. It was there when Samsung Galaxy found their momentum as they took down afreeca Freecs and even swept KT Rolster in the Finals.

Things wouldn’t go as smoothly in the Group Stage of the 2017 World Championship as Samsung Galaxy was outclassed by Chinese team, Royal Never Give Up forcing the South Koreans to settle for second in Group C.

The veteran South Korean squad found second wind as they plowed through top South Korean seed, Longzhu Gaming and Chinese team, Team WE in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively. Both of which surprised spectators and analysts after they shaky performance during the Group Stage.

On the other side of the bracket, their rivals SK Telecom T1 was stumbling through to continue their journey. They might’ve looked like the most vulnerable they’ve ever been in the World Championship stage, they were still the dangerous three-time champions.

Samsung Galaxy showed that they were there to win and get their revenge as the historic rematch of the previous Finals unfolded. Their opponents, on the other hand, were starting to break under the pressure. Despite the best attempts of the defending champions from regaining their momentum in the third game and in the series, it was Samsung Galaxy that stood their ground and tore down through SK Telecom T1.

In the end, all it took was one Flash + Chain of Corruption at 39:20 in Game 3 from the AD Carry of Samsung Galaxy onto the SK Telecom T1 mid laner to close out the series. The 2017 World Champions did what no team has ever done, take down the titan, SK Telecom T1 on the World Championship stage.

The team will forever be remembered as the team that stuck together and swept the most dominant League of Legends team, SK Telecom T1 in the 2017 World Championships.

The journey of Lee “Cuvee” Seong-jin, Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong, Lee “Crown” Min-ho, Park ”Ruler” Jae-hyuk, Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in, Kang “Haru” Min-seung, and coach Choi “Edgar” Woo-beom was truly awe-inspiring and it is because of this that we award them with the GGWP Esports Team of the Year.